Forever and a Day
by Six-string Samurai
Summary: Ranma comes back to Nerima after two years on the road, only to find out that everything has changed, just not in the way he expected.
1. Default Chapter

Ranma and Co. is Copyright Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan, Inc. 1993

Ranma ½ is a trademark of Viz Communications, Inc.

A Ranma ½ Fan Fiction by INABN

            Forever and a Day Chapter One: Any Other Color 

            The early morning mist drifted lazily through the side streets and alleyways; faint rays of the rising sun already having burned away the last vestiges of the chill autumn night on the main thoroughfares.  Few had woken from their slumber, and those that had were preparing for the day ahead.  Even so, the street was empty save for one travel-worn occupant.  The young man shifted a heavy pack he wore from one shoulder to the other as he took in the sights of the city around him.  After so long, he finally felt stirrings of something vaguely familiar.  Two years, come and gone, and now, he could finally rest.  Saotome Ranma was home.

            Nearing the Tendou residence, Ranma's mind turned over what possible impacts his return would herald.  In the great scope of things, two years wasn't all that long, but something was bound to have changed.  When he left, he had promised to write to let everyone know that he was doing fine on his own.  It had been hard at times, but he kept his word.  Every two weeks or so, he had made his way to whatever town happened to be closest, and mailed off a letter to the Tendou's.  Granted, since he was always on the move, he never received a reply.  In fact, just a few days ago he had mailed off a postcard informing them of his imminent return.  There had been nothing specific, just a general estimate of his arrival time.  Up ahead, a familiar sight brought him out of his reverie.

            He was inside the front gates of the Tendou home, standing on the walkway that now stretched before him, the longest road he had come across in his wide travels.  Each movement, stride or small step, took an eternity to accomplish in his mind.  His eyes were riveted to the front door, never leaving it, lest it vanish like a mirage.  Only seconds had elapsed from the gate, to the door.  There was no way to gauge how long he simply stood there, his hand raised as if to knock on the hard wood surface of the front door.   His hand nearly contacted the wood, when a familiar woman pulled the door open from inside.  He took a step back as she had yet to notice him.  

Ranma watched in a detached fashion as Kasumi turned around to close the door.  When she moved to start toward the gate she finally raised her head, causing Ranma to unfreeze.  Luckily he had plenty of time to react, as Kasumi flung her purse in surprise when she saw someone standing not more than three feet from her.  He caught the purse deftly in one outstretched hand, feeling relieved that she hadn't cried out.  Ranma simply stood there, as he watched flickers of emotion pass across the face of the eldest Tendou daughter.  The young man in front of her looked quiet familiar.  He wore a pair of long black pants, tied at the waist by a thin red sash, and a faded black silk shirt embroidered with twin tigers on the front.  His clothing hung loose, and looked comfortable.  Standing there, with his black hair down over his shoulders, what struck her most was the cloudy blue of his eyes.           

Wordlessly, Ranma offered the wayward purse back to its owner, whom he thought, seemed a little more than surprised to see him.  Finally, she spoke, breaking the silence.  "Ranma-kun?  Is that you?"

It was starting to warm up a little as they strolled along the sidewalk.  Kasumi mentioned that she was heading out to the market early; as to get back and have breakfast ready by the time everyone else awoke.  Seeing as the others were sleeping still, Ranma decided to accompany her.  Neither had uttered more than a few words since leaving the gates of the Tendou home, passing the time in mutual silence.  Every so often, Ranma would glance at Kasumi from the corner of his eye.  She appeared to be lost in thought, and it was unnerving to say the least.

            When they arrived at the marketplace, Ranma could see that a number of the vendors were already open for business.  Following Kasumi around as she shopped, he offered to carry the goods she purchased.  Kasumi was ready to head back after fifteen minutes, satisfied with what she had bought.  Thankfully, the walk back was much less awkward.   That was mostly because Ranma could barely see anything through the pile in his arms and had to concentrate on the footsteps of the woman he was accompanying.

            With a faint grunt, Ranma set the bags of produce on the kitchen counter where Kasumi said she would like them to be placed.  

"This is for the week, right?"  Ranma asked, indicating the five bags that all but hid the counter.  

Kasumi nodded, asking for him to take a seat while she put on a kettle of tea.  Ranma moved to the proffered seat, waiting patiently for Kasumi to finish making tea.  He didn't have long to wait, as five minutes later Kasumi sat across from him, nursing her cup of tea.  Ranma took the time to look the place over, while his own tea cooled to an acceptable level.

            "Ranma-kun, you've been gone a long time.  Did you travel far?"

He focused his attention once more on Kasumi, after she spoke.  "I, yeah…guess you could say I did."  Her question threw him off a little.  He was pretty sure he had written about the general areas he had been to along his journey.  Furrowing his brow a little, he decided to be a little more specific.  

"Went pretty far into Mainland China, almost made it ta the Himalayas before heading back."

            Kasumi rose from her seat, taking her empty teacup.  "My, you must pardon me Ranma-kun, I need to start breakfast, and it's nearly seven."  With that she disappeared into the kitchen.  Finishing his tea, Ranma went to see if he could be of any service.  He didn't plan on freeloading if he could help it, not this time.

            "Need help with anything?"  Ranma said as he stepped into the kitchen.  Kasumi gave a little smile at his offer, deciding that it might just make things go smoother if he did help out.

            "Thank you for offering, Ranma-kun, I could use an extra hand or two."

            "No problem.  Just point me in the right direction, and I'll get started."  With that, Ranma reached into his pocket and pulled out a leather thong, which he used to tie his hair back into a loose ponytail.  Before long, the two had established a rhythm.   Kasumi was pleased to see that the food would be ready with time to spare.  It wouldn't be too long before Akane and Father woke up.  They would be so surprised when they found out who had come to visit!

            Upstairs, the aroma of breakfast cooking was finally permeating the air, prompting a still groggy Akane to perk up a little bit.  Reaching across to her nightstand, the alarm clock showed the time at five till seven.  Even thought it was a lazy Sunday morning, she tried to keep in the habit of rising close to a normal time.  She stretched a little bit before picking out some clothes for the day, heading to the bathroom to wash up.  As she walked down the hall, she could hear her father beginning to rise as well.  She smiled to herself; the smell of breakfast was just as good, or better, than any alarm clock.

            Akane paused at the top of the staircase when she heard voices coming from downstairs.  At first, she dismissed it as the television set, but the longer she listened, the more apparent it became that Kasumi was talking to someone.  She couldn't remember anyone that was supposed to come over, and it couldn't be Nabiki.  Nabiki wasn't due back home from the University until Tuesday evening.  Clutching her bath supplies to her chest, she made her way down the stairs so she could see who it was.  Unfortunately, it looked as if Kasumi and her guest were in the kitchen, which Akane couldn't see into from the stairs.  Akane sighed, figuring she would find out who it was, if they were still here, when she was done with her bath.

            "…So, it's just the three of you living here now?"  Ranma asked Kasumi, as he unplugged the small rice steamer.  Breakfast was for the most part ready to be served.  He could tell that the rest of the house was up and about, someone having already gone into the bathroom a minute ago.

            Kasumi nodded, "Yes, Nabiki is living at the dormitory; she insisted, saying that the commute would cost too much if she stayed at home."  Ranma looked puzzled for a second.

"Akane isn't continuing school then?"

"No, she and Father have taken up teaching a few lessons during the week.  I think they even have a few students that are willing to learn properly.  Akane tells me that she almost has enough money saved up to start at the University this next year."  With that, Kasumi placed some of the food-laden plates on a serving tray and went to set it down on the table in the other room.

Just as Kasumi rose to get the rest of the food, Ranma walked in from the kitchen with a tray in each hand.  

"Here ya go Kasumi.  This was everything right?"  He asked with a glance over the trays.  

Kasumi smiled, giving her thanks for the help that he provided.  With that, they knelt at the table, to wait for the arrival of Souun and Akane.  They didn't have long to wait as moments later Souun in his brown robe, came down the stairs.

"Ah, good morning Kasumi.  I see that we have a guest," the patriarch of the Tendou household stated in a fairly jovial manner.  Taking his place at the table he regarded the new arrival.  "Tell me young man, what brings you to our home?"  Souun looked Ranma over while he waited for his reply.  Something was nagging at the corners of his memory, but he couldn't quite place it yet.

Now Ranma felt he was at odds.  When he was talking to Kasumi, he could tell that the conversation had been a little stilted, like she had not been expecting him.  Souun's question had only served to confirm it.  They must've somehow not received his postcard.  That had to be it.  

"Ah, Mr. Tendou, I just returned from my journey.  It seemed right that I come for a visit."  Suddenly the pieces fell into place for Souun.  It was just a coincidence that 

Akane had turned the corner, eliciting a soft exclamation of "Ranma?"

"I take it you guys never got the postcard I sent last week."  Ranma sighed as his statement was met with two shaken heads and a Souun water fountain.  Souun's lamentation began while Akane just stood there, too shocked to say anything.

"Oh, the poor boy leaves, vanished off the face of the earth for two long years, and when he comes back…No one even remembers him!  The tragedy of it all!  Wahhh!"  Ranma hung his head in slight embarrassment over the whole situation.   What did Souun mean by 'vanish off the face of the earth' anyway?  They knew 'roughly' where he was the entire time.  His frequent letters would have made sure of that.  When he looked back up, Kasumi was tending to her now distraught father, and Akane was still just gaping at him like he had three heads or something.

On impulse, Ranma cleared his mind, and asked aloud the question he now distrusted an answer of.  "Akane, you 'did' get my letters, right?"  He tried to make it implicitly clear what answer he was hoping to hear.  For her part, Akane seemed to come out of whatever trance she was in, as if noticing him for the first time.

"Ranma… what letters?  You sent me letters?"  She seemed partly torn between a confused glazed look, and wanting to form an angry glare.  Ranma was now just as perplexed as Akane.  How could they have missed every single one for the past two years?  He was one hundred and ten percent sure that the address he had written to was correct.  So sure in fact, that had he been asked to, he would stake his very honor on it.

"Of course I did Akane.  I sent a letter, or at the very least, a postcard every two weeks, for the past two years.  Don't tell me you didn't get a single one."  Ranma proceeded to run a hand through his hair.  "Ah, it's beside the point anyway.  Look, I promised I would write, it was the least I could do, and I did.  Believe me."

Akane floundered, torn between being angry with herself, and being upset at Ranma.  "You up and decide to leave one day, never write, and then just expect to waltz right back in?"  Akane, it seems, had settled her anger on Ranma.  At her outburst, Ranma very nearly sprayed the tea he had managed to take a sip of, all across the table.  

"W-what?  You know it wasn't like you make it out to be.  My leaving was a mutual decision between the two of us.  I'm telling you that I sent letters, whether you believe me or not, is up ta you.  As far as 'waltzing' in here, I thought the week notice I gave in my postcard would have been enough for you."  He pulled a small cloth from inside his sleeve and wiped his mouth.

After having successfully calming her father, Kasumi watched the mounting tension between Ranma and Akane with apprehension.  If things continued as they were, Ranma was bound to up and leave.  After all, he had no reason to stay where he didn't feel welcome.  So, before the matter grew out of hand, she spoke up, "Everyone, breakfast is getting cold.  We should all sit down and eat, so as not to waste it."  Kasumi gave her little sister a small stern nod, and Akane acquiesced, for the moment.  Ranma had already settled back down, not really in the mood to argue over something so trivial with the youngest Tendou.  The remainder of the meal was met in silence, and thus passed uneventfully.

Akane was still a little miffed over the earlier conversation with Ranma.  It certainly hadn't gone anywhere near what she had envisioned.  At the moment she was back up in her room, having excused herself from the table as soon as she had finished eating.  She realized that she should probably talk with Ranma.  The tension she felt at the moment however would make that a fruitless endeavor.  It just was too out of the ordinary for her now.  The last year and a half had been fairly monotonous.  What with nearly everyone that had made her life crazy all but gone, the days were rather uneventful.  Now, the one person that managed to turn everything topsy-turvy on her had to up and drop back in.  She sighed, burying her face in her hands, and taking a deep calming breath.  She could handle this…she 'had' to.


	2. Pale Sunlight

Ranma and Co. is Copyright Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan, Inc. 1993

Ranma ½ is a trademark of Viz Communications, Inc.

A Ranma ½ Fan Fiction by INABN - "Forever and a Day"

Chapter Two: Pale Sunlight 

            Shortly after Akane left the table, Ranma and the others finished up.  Souun was still out of it, despite the calming Kasumi had effected.  Mechanically, he rose from his seat to wander off into another part of the house, doubtless to find a quiet corner and sob.  Well, that's what Ranma speculated anyway.  When Kasumi began clearing the table, Ranma moved to help out; he had made a promise after all, even if it was just to himself.  Graciously, Kasumi declined his initial offer, but when he continued to help, she relented and accepted the assistance.

            They spent the next ten minutes straightening out the table and cleaning the utensils.  Kasumi washed what few dishes there were, before handing them to Ranma so he could dry them and put them into the cupboard.  Again the time flew by with Ranma's aide, and before long the chores were done.  "Kasumi, is it true then, that what I sent never showed up?"  Ranma felt he needed to be sure, before he spoke to Akane again.  He didn't want there to be any more misunderstandings between them.  As it was, they already had enough to last a lifetime.

            "So far as I know, it is.  I remember the first month after you left on your travels; it was very hard on everyone.  Some waited each day, thinking you would show up, like it had been a hasty decision.  Perhaps, even a joke of sorts."

            Ranma felt a bit confused at hearing this.  "But, I told practically everyone that I was going, and why I felt I had to leave."  He paused to elicit a wry chuckle.  "Did ya know that Ryouga actually followed me when I left?"

            "No, I had no idea.  How long did he stay with you?"  Kasumi hadn't had much personal contact with the Hibiki boy, but she did know a bit about his notorious directional sense.

            "We went quite a ways from Nerima, couple of days travel really.  I didn't mind the company at the time, he was constantly nagging at me over one thing or another but we got along I guess.  One morning I woke up, and he wasn't there.  I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later.  That's what makes him Ryouga, I think."  Ranma scratched his head, realizing that he was rambling a little.  "Anyways, I bumped into him a few months back.  He seemed to be doing pretty good for himself.   Wasn't so angry all of the time.  Though he did look a bit, I don't know…tired."

            "Well, I'm happy to hear that he's getting along better.  Ryouga-kun was very shy when he was visiting, unless the two of you were playing."

              "Uh yea, Kasumi look it's been nice talking with you, but I should probably go and, you know, see how Akane's doing.  I saw her go upstairs; do ya think she's in her room?"  He didn't really want to leave Kasumi hanging, but if he didn't sort things out between himself and Akane, it was bound to feel uncomfortable the rest of the time he was visiting.  The truth was, talking with Kasumi, he felt at ease, despite the rather trivial conversation they had been having.  But, there would be plenty of time for that later, whereas Akane might become more volatile the longer he waited.  

"Why, yes.  I can't think of anywhere else she might go, upstairs that is.  Be attentive of my little sister's feelings Ranma-kun.  Things haven't been easy on her while you've been gone."  With that in mind, Ranma made his way up to Akane's room, leaving the eldest Tendou daughter to her own device.

Akane had finished writing an entry in her diary only scant seconds before she heard a light knock at her door.  Taking her time, she put away the small notebook, before calling out to see who it was.  Of course, the possibility of it being someone other than Ranma was slim at best.  "Who is it?"  Akane had toyed with the idea of making her voice gruffer than it was, to show that she was still irate.  But, on the off chance that it wasn't Ranma standing out there, it wasn't much of a choice.

"It's Ranma," his reply sounded distorted through the closed door.  "Can we talk?"

"Humph, we're talking right now, aren't we?"  Akane grumbled from her side of the door.

"Very funny Akane, you know what I meant.  Look, we started off on the wrong foot downstairs.  Can't we talk about it?"  Ranma untied the leather wrap from his ponytail while he leaned against the wall next to Akane's door.  He'd taken to wearing his hair loose some time ago, and he felt more at ease when it hung free around his shoulders.  

"If you don't want to, I understand."  While he was speaking, Akane's door popped open a few centimeters.  Ranma watched the open slit of the door for a second, before he heard Akane's voice waft through.  

"If you aren't going to come in, you might as well leave Ranma."  

Pulling himself from the wall, he quietly walked into her room, shutting the door as he went.  Ranma's eyes wandered across the room.  Not much had changed from what he last remembered.  Sure, there were a few minor cosmetic changes, but nothing drastic.  Several of her manga had been replaced with more mature books, and there was a new poster or two.  All in all, it was what he supposed a normal girl's room should look like.  Akane sat on the edge of her bed, watching as he looked about.

"You said you wanted to talk, so stop staring at everything."  

Ranma arched a brow at her comment, before sitting in the chair by the desk.

"Listen, I know why you're mad.  There's just nothing I can do about it.  I told you I'd write, and I kept my word.  I really have no idea why you never got any of the letters."  Ranma calmly stated.  

Akane narrowed her eyes; Ranma, of all people, thought he knew why she was mad.  Well he had another thing coming.  When she was done with him, why, there would be nothing left…

"You 'think' I'm mad just because of some stupid letters?  It's been two years Ranma.  Two years…you do know how to pick up a phone don't you?"  Akane wasn't quite yelling at this point, merely using a forceful tone of voice.  Her words had the intended effect, and Ranma was thrown off guard.

"Phone… huh?"

"Yes, you know the thing you use to talk to someone over long distances.  What, were you afraid someone would trace the call?  That's pretty low Ranma."

"Trace the call?  What are you talking about?  Why would anyone want to trace my calls?"  Ranma mainly understood what she was getting at, but he refused to believe that she was speaking out of anything but anger at the moment.  Why was she attacking him like this?

"Hah, that's more like it, dodge the question as usual.  You probably didn't want anyone to find your little hidey-hole.  Just admit it."

"Look Akane, I'm not sure where you came up with this, but there really weren't any phones where I was at.  It was hard enough to find places that could send mail.  If I'd a known that it meant this much to you, I'd have tried to call."  Ranma fervently hoped this line of reasoning would calm Akane down.  Sure he had learned to be more decisive and self-reliant over the past two years, but working on his conversational skills hadn't been foremost on his mind.  

Akane just responded with a wry chuckle.  

"I don't see what's so funny about this," Ranma remarked, already growing tired of the runaround Akane was giving him.  He was about to come up with some sort of rejoinder when he noticed her expression soften ever so slightly.

"Ranma, did you have to leave?  Was it really that bad?"  Akane's abrupt change only served to further confuse Ranma.  

Already he felt that the situation was beyond him.  It sounded like she was asking why he had left.  That had been one thing that he felt he'd made abundantly clear to everyone two years ago.  Akane certainly hadn't tried to stop him then, so why was she all fired up about it now?  

"Well, was it?"  

Blinking, he focused on her expectant face before she could prod him again.  

"You actually have to ask that?  Of course it was."  His blunt reply prompted a sharp intake of breath from the girl sitting across from him.  Furrowing his brow, he nevertheless continued on, "I know we talked this over back then, I really had no idea that it bothered you this much.  You could have said something."

    "Get real Ranma.  Don't think that you can just come walking back like nothing happened.  Things change, people change.  You know that, right?"  At this point, Akane's voice took on an unfamiliar lilt.  It almost sounded, forced, like her throat had suddenly gone dry.

"Yea, Akane, I do.  Believe me.  I…I didn't realize that you felt this way.  I can go, if I'm bothering you this much."  Resigned, he pulled himself to his feet.  "I'd only planned on staying for a few days, so I'll be out of your way soon.  Maybe we can talk again later."  Having said that, he slid the door open and left the room.

For her part, Akane just stared at the empty chair so recently occupied.  Trying to marshal her thoughts on what had just happened, she was having trouble deciding if things had gone better or worse than she had expected.  One thing was for sure things weren't quite the same as they had been.  Akane blinked, realizing that she was now alone.  Lying back on her bed, she covered her face with an arm and sighed.  After all this time, she had him right here, in her room, and totally messed up.

Kasumi had just finished putting away the dishes from breakfast when she heard Ranma come back down from his talk with her little sister.  She hoped everything went all right.  Akane's behavior toward his appearance had been less than exemplary.  It had come as quite a shock to see him standing at the door like that.  Nevertheless, there was no excuse for Akane to act in such a way.  

Ranma slid noiselessly into the dining room, his face a mixture of confusion and under further scrutiny, disappointment.  Once again it fell upon Kasumi to apologize for the behavior of her sibling.  "Honestly, when will Akane learn to grow up," Kasumi thought to herself as she watched him lean idly against the wall.  She wondered if it would be improper to bring the matter up outright, or if she should wait until he had time to center himself.  Naturally it might be best to 'get it out of the way,' as Ranma had spoken of not ten minutes ago.  That way there would be nothing to bother his visit any further.  Now, how to broach the subject?  

Rubbing his forehead, Ranma gave a frustrated sigh.  Why did everything have to be so difficult with that girl?  He'd thought that they had taken care of all misunderstandings before he left on his trip.  Apparently that was not the case anymore.  But, what else could he do?  Talking it out certainly wasn't an option this time around.  Akane was still too stubborn for her, or anyone else's, peace of mind.  Ranma was just about to go sit down, when he heard the soft patter of Kasumi's footsteps approach.


	3. Floating

Ranma and Co. is Copyright Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan, Inc. 1993

Ranma ½ is a trademark of Viz Communications, Inc.

A Ranma ½ Fan Fiction by S³ - "Forever and a Day"

Chapter Three: Floating

Was it reasonable to believe that he was a fool?  For once, it would've been nice for something to go the way he planned.  Obviously, that was too much to ask for.  After the wasted argument with Akane, Kasumi had made it plain she wanted to talk to him about something, but Ranma hadn't much felt like having another conversation.  Oh, he did promise to speak of things before he left.  But still Kasumi had seemed disappointed.  Whether it was directed toward him, or something else, he wasn't sure.

At the moment, Ranma was reviewing the past thirty minutes in his mind's eye, determined to figure out what he had done or said to upset Kasumi.  After all, when things went wrong, who was usually caught up in the middle?  If Saotome Ranma had learned one thing during the latest journey, it was to be responsible for his actions.  It simply wouldn't do to leave Kasumi saddened, knowing there might be a way to fix it.  So he made himself comfortable on the porch, since he had no idea when a solution might present itself.

Three hours and a short nap later, Ranma was brought back to the waking world as someone gently nudged his shoulders.

"Ranma-kun, it is a little past lunchtime, but I thought you might still want something to eat," came the soft voice of the eldest Tendou daughter.    

            "Hn," Ranma yawned as he rose to his feet.  "I appreciate it Kasumi.  Sorry if I fell asleep like that.  I walked pretty far this morning to get here."

            "That's quite all right Ranma-kun.  You can finish your nap in the guest room after you eat, if you want," Kasumi politely informed.

            "Thanks, but I slept enough already.  Anyway, what's for lunch?"

            Kasumi nodded assent, gesturing to the table inside on which there was a bowl of rice and a small platter of broiled fish.  "I know it is not much.  But, please help yourself."

            Through the open patio door, faint tinkling of chimes could be heard as the wind picked up.  Ranma looked out at the sky, the small hairs on the back of his neck prickling, and could see storm clouds gathering on the horizon.  A breeze wafted through the house, bearing the faint scent of rain fast approaching.  Letting out a breath, Ranma finished eating his meal before rising to take the dishes into the kitchen.

            Thoughtfully Kasumi approached the kitchen entryway, meaning to check and see how Ranma was managing.  She watched as he cleaned and shelved the dishes, only interjecting once, when he was about to place them in the wrong cabinet.  Inwardly, she was glad for the rain, because that would mean that the two of them would have the opportunity to just sit and talk.  Even with her Father and Akane home most of the time, Kasumi still felt a little lonely around the house.  It was good that Ranma had come back.  Just maybe, things might liven up again.

            As soon as he heard her indicate where the bowl he had in his hands was supposed to go, Ranma sighed.  Even thought this was her house, he felt that he could do all right for himself.  Didn't anyone have faith in him anymore?  Ranma shook his head, that hadn't been a fair question.  When had anyone ever really believed him?  Or, believed in him, for that matter?  Reflecting on that last train of thought, he decided that it wasn't what he really thought.  "It must just be the weather."

            "I'm sorry Ranma-kun, what did you say," Kasumi asked, unsure if the young man had directed his comment towards herself.

            "It was nothing Kasumi.  Just thinking, that's all."  Ranma scratched the back of his neck as he replied.  Some old habits were harder to break than others.

            "I was wondering if we could talk for a bit.  That is, if you don't mind telling me a little about your trip.  Nothing much happens around here, not since…"  Kasumi broke off her train of thought when she realized that she had nearly said, "Since you left us."  That was most definitely the wrong thing to start a conversation with.  

            For his part, Ranma merely blinked, wondering why Kasumi trailed off like she had.  He was further confused when she wouldn't meet his eyes when he tried asking what the matter was.  He decided that today was most likely going to be filed under the 'could have gone better' category.  He'd had far too many of these kinds of days for his liking.  

            "Er, the rain is going to start coming in if we don't go close the door," he said, hoping to distract his hostess from whatever was bothering her.  A masterful speaker he was not, though it was enough.  Kasumi turned to close the door and make sure the windows were shut.  There was little use in letting the rain get into the house.

            For her part, Kasumi welcomed the task, as it gave her a respite from conversation even if that's what she wanted in the first place.  All too soon the job was done and the interior of the house proof against the elements.  Surely there was something else to delay the inevitable, just a moment longer.  Unfortunately, there wasn't.  And she could tell that Ranma was anxious to hear what she had to say.

            Sitting back down at the table, Kasumi started once more, "Your trip, did it go well?"

            "I'd like to think so.  I mean, sure things were rough at the start, but I managed to get out of Japan a few days after I left," Ranma shrugged.

            "Oh, we really had no idea where you went off to.  I'm sure everyone is curious where you ended up.  After all, two years is a long time to be gone."

            "I never really had any destination in mind, not at first anyway.  Not after Jusendo," said Ranma.

            Kasumi nodded, she knew the details.  Well, what little she had gathered from Akane anyway.  "You said you almost made it to the Himalayas?"

            Ranma nodded, "A couple o' other areas too.  I wanted to check out India.  I heard there were some great places to train."

            "Why didn't you make it there?"

            Chuckling lightly he replied, "It was the wrong season to go traveling across the mountains.  Got kinda cold there for a while; I was gonna try for it anyway, but the guide I hired wouldn't budge.  Called me a few names too."

            "What did you end up doing then?"  Kasumi asked curiously.

            "Well, with no guide, it woulda been pretty easy to get myself lost in the mountains.  That would be stupid on my part.  I just went back to the guide's village.  Figured I'd wait out the weather, and start over when things looked better."

            "I see.  But, you never tried to go back did you.  Why?"

            "Uh, like I wrote in my letters, I felt that I'd accomplished what I set out to, and wanted to stop by someplace where there were people I knew.  For a little while anyway."

            Kasumi thought this over, decided that maybe he had been feeling lonely with no one to talk to.  She wondered if he had become fluent in Chinese during his stay there.  Remembering that the language barrier had caused most of his problems before, she inquired about it.  Asking if he'd learned Chinese, or any other languages, Kasumi thought that it would be interesting if he had.


End file.
